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Knowing the Customer (Whether You’re a Social Startup or Ford): At the UM India Business Conference
At the UM India Business Conference Mark Fields, chief operating officer of Ford Motor Co., and Desh Deshpande is an Indian American venture capitalist and entrepreneur, discussed the intricacies of reaching new customers in emerging markets whether it’s a multinational company or a social enterprise.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
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India’s No. 1 problem is No. 2.: Tansa Clean tests ‘biodigester’ technology to improve sanitation
Some $54 billion is lost from the Indian economy from health costs, lowered productivity, and absent tourism revenues, all of which originates in diarrhea. Anaerobic biodigesters are airtight tanks that create just the right environment for bacteria to become active, breaking organic wastes down into methane-rich biogas and a nutrient-rich slurry. The founders of Tansa Clean, are launching a pilot to test the potential of their biodigester in India.
- Categories
- Health Care, Social Enterprise
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Social Enterprise in Haiti: An oxymoron or a reality?
More than two dozen development-minded thinkers and doers convened in Cambridge, Mass., for a competition-based workshop designed to find a market-based solution to cholera in Haiti. The winning idea, which includes recruiting and training “community chlorinators,” is expected to be up and running by this time next year.
- Categories
- Education, Environment, Health Care, Social Enterprise
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Micro-Franchising: How Business-in-a-Box Can Change Development: Why Jibu, a clean water franchise, sees power in local ownership
Micro-franchising lends the emerged market’s corporate advantage to local, emerging market entrepreneurs - propelling local innovations and adaptation. Jibu is piloting this model for clean water distribution. Why co-founder Galen Welsch thinks they may be onto something.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Social Enterprise
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Gawad Kalinga : Building a social enterprise network in the Philippines
Gawad Kalinga, now a multi-million dollar Filipino NGO, was founded by Antonio Meloto (“Tito Tony” as he’s also known) to reduce poverty through a genuine network effect connecting businesses, communities, government and educators. Gawad Kalinga’s goal is ending poverty for 5 million families by 2024.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
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On the Ground at SOCAP – Day 2: Big partnerships, lean startups and government hijinks
Scott Anderson and Marzena Zukowska are your roving bloggers from this week’s Social Capital Markets Conference in San Francisco.
Here are just a few of the many snippets of wisdom they picked up during Day 2 (Wednesday) at the sprawling social investing gathering - taken from four of the day’s many sessions.- Categories
- Social Enterprise, Uncategorized
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Avon, Amway … Africa?: Can the direct sales agent model work for health goods at the BoP? Part 2
Direct sales agent models are generating a lot of buzz in BoP health care. By recruiting local sales teams to sell health products directly to their communities, social enterprises hope to improve health, provide an income for the salespeople – and make a profit. But can they overcome the challenges of working at the BoP? The SHOPS project studied several approaches in Africa, and lead researcher Michael Kubzansky discusses what works – and what doesn’t – in part 2 of our Q&A.
- Categories
- Education, Health Care, Social Enterprise
- Tags
- public health, research
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Avon, Amway … Africa?: Can the direct sales agent model work for health goods at the BoP? Part 1
It’s not easy marketing health products to the BoP. Challenges range from remote distribution to customers’ limited awareness of the products’ benefits or correct usage. That’s why some companies are recruiting local sales teams to sell health products directly to their communities. But how can the Avon/Amway model work for low-margin goods at the BoP? The SHOPS Project analyzed five business models in Africa over 16 months. In Part 1 of this Q&A, lead researcher Michael Kubzansky describes its findings.
- Categories
- Education, Health Care, Social Enterprise
- Tags
- public health, research
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